O'Keeffe rescues point

Corey O’Keeffe netted his first Barnsley goal late on to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to lowly Fleetwood Town on Saturday.

There were two goals in the first seven minutes as Fleetwood took the lead but Devante Cole levelled with a rebound after his penalty was saved.

The visitors re-took the lead with a superb free-kick then substitute O’Keeffe levelled in the 88th minute.

Barnsley created the better chances throughout and the visitors netted from their only shots on target, while the hosts scored their first equalisers at Oakwell.

The Reds dropped down two places from third to fifth in the League One table but are still just two points off the top two.

Neill Collins made one change from the 3-0 home win over Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday. Adam Phillips came in for the suspended Callum Styles in midfield. Fabio Jalo was on the bench, after the 17-year-old excelled for the development teams last week, but Sam Cosgrove was not in the squad after his suspension finished.

The visitors took the lead in the third minute when Jamie McCart lost a header then did not compete for the second and Jack Marriott was free to run forward and try a pass which was deflected into the path of Junior Quitirna who beat Ben Killip one-on-one.

The lead lasted just four minutes as Barnsley won their second penalty in four days after a 591-day wait for a home league spot-kick. After Nicky Cadden’s cross was half-blocked, Cole was tripped in the box by goalkeeper Jay Lynch who saved the ex-Fleetwood striker’s penalty but Cole fired in the rebound. It was a first league equaliser at Oakwell the Reds had scored since Carlton Morris netted against Huddersfield in December 2021.

John McAtee then dragged a couple of shots wide from the edge of the box and Cole was just beaten to the ball by the goalkeeper when through. Barry Cotter latched onto a fine pass by Herbie Kane, skipped past a defender but scuffed a shot wide from 15 yards with his weaker left foot. McAtee then headed a Kane free-kick wide.

But Fleetwood re-took the lead against the run of play with a fantastic free-kick by Quitirna who found the top left corner from 25 yards. Cole lost the ball near the halfway line then Jordan Williams had to commit a foul to stop the counter-attack.

Kane collected a fifth booking of the season which will see him banned for the next league game but he also rattled the crossbar with a fine curling effort from the edge of the box on 44 minutes.

Cadden’s corner in first half injury-time was then flicked on by Cole and Mael de Gevigney looked set to score but the ball was hooked off the goalline. There was still time for another long-range Kane shot to be beaten away by the goalkeeper.

The Reds had had the better chances in the first half but went into the break trailing.

Fleetwood thought they should have had a penalty seconds into the second half when Marriott went down in the box after tackle by Williams. It looked a strong claim but the referee did not point to the spot to the visitors’ fury.

Cadden’s free-kick was beaten away by the goalkeeper before a pinball in the box which eventually saw Jon Russell turn wide, amid shouts of handball by a defender. De Gevigney then horribly sliced over a 12-yard shot after a corner was half-cleared.

Phillips was put through by a Kane pass but took a poor touch and a defender cleared.

The game seemed to be drifted away from the hosts but Kane’s excellent pass picked out substitute O’Keeffe to head in his first goal for the club.

There were ten added minutes in which Fleetwood’s Scott Robertson shot just wide from 25 yards then Cole hooked a tough chance over from a left-wing cross. Kane’s long-range shot was easily saved in the 99th minute.

Barnsley (3-5-2): Killip; Williams, de Gevigney, McCart; Cotter (O’Keeffe 63mins), Phillips (Benson 69), Russell (Watters 69), Kane, Cadden (Dodgson 81); Cole, McAtee (Jalo 81).

Unused: Flavell, Shepherd, Dodgson, Jalo.

Yellow cards: Williams, Kane.

Goals: Cole 7 (pen), O’Keeffe 88.

Fleetwood (4-5-1): Lynch; Rooney (Robertson 79mins), Lawal, Heneghan, Earl, Quitirna (Mayor 51), Wiredu (Montgomery 63), Broom, Unused, Omochere (Tshimanga 63); Marriott (Stockley 63).

Unused: McMullan, Patterson.

Yellow cards: Broom, Marriott.

Goals: Quitirna 3, 34.